Headaches on the horizon

Severe thunderstorms are possible through the evening, according to the Capital Weather Gang. That will dampen a lot of the road work scheduled for the D.C. region. Here's word about advances on a couple of projects.

Braddock Road/Beltway
This is from Mike Salmon, a spokesman for the Virginia Megaprojects office:
A new overpass opened Thursday, giving motorists on westbound Braddock Road a smooth surface while traveling over the Capital Beltway. The temporary traffic signal at I-495 north to Braddock Road west will be removed as well, so motorists heading home in the evening should see some relief.

Next week, the eastbound traffic will shift to the new bridge. Once the traffic gets shifted to the new span, the old overpass will be torn down and a new one will be built in its place. But while the work continues, all the eastbound and westbound traffic will be on the new bridge. Both overpasses, which are part of the HOT lanes project, should be in operation by late 2011.

Ohio Drive
Next week, the National Park Service plans to start the next phase of the road reconstruction on Ohio Drive between the Lincoln Memorial and the Kennedy Center. This will mean changes in both the rush hour and off-peak traffic patterns. There will always be two lanes open inbound during the morning rush and two lanes outbound during the evening rush. Pedestrians and cyclists are being detoured around the east side of the Lincoln Memorial during the entire program. All the work should be done by late fall.

Metrorail late-night delays
Riders on most lines will encounter late-night delays. Riders who use Farragut North Station, note that Metro plans to work on the platform ceiling problem near the L Street entrance. See posting about what's up on the Red Line.

Red Line: Add at least half an hour to travel time between Rhode Island Avenue and Fort Totten after 10 p.m. Workers will be strengthening the surface under the tracks. Every other Red Line train toward Glenmont will terminate at Rhode Island Avenue and head back toward Shady Grove.

Add at least half an hour to a trip between Farragut North and Judiciary Square after 10 p.m. Workers are scheduled to repair the ceiling at Farragut North where structural problems were discovered in December.

Blue Line: Add at least half an hour to travel times between Stadium-Armory and Addison Road after 9:30 p.m. Workers will be replacing concrete slabs under the rails

Blue and Yellow Lines: Add at least half an hour to travel times between Braddock Road and Pentagon City after 11 p.m. Workers will be replacing old rail fasteners. All Yellow Line trains will terminate at Mount Vernon Square.

Green Line: Add at least 20 minutes to travel times between Greenbelt and College Park after 8 p.m. Workers will be welding rail.